The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, says Nigeria is only 59% prepared for a possible Ebola outbreak, warning that porous land borders remain the country’s biggest risk.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Monday he stated, “Our recent latest level of assessment puts us at about 59 per cent. But that’s quite variable. You can’t be 100 per cent prepared, but the essence is that we keep preparing because things change.”
Idris noted that while international airports are monitored, “the biggest one again is our borders, porous borders. Not everybody comes in by air. You have people migrating by road and that kind of thing. These are the scares, and that’s why again it’s essential for us to prepare.”
He added, “To be frank, we are not 100% ready, but we are improving our readiness,” stressing that states are being assessed for isolation centres, emergency response facilities and available stockpiles.
The NCDC boss also revealed that Nigeria is currently battling seven to eight disease outbreaks, including cholera and Lassa fever. “Aside from Lassa fever, we are managing about seven to eight outbreaks in this country right now. Cholera is there; it’s killing people,” he said, while urging state governments to take greater responsibility for disease prevention and preparedness.
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